Aug 21, 2007
Jun 15, 2007
May 29, 2007
KING ARTHUR
Based on a more realistic portrayal of "Arthur" than has ever been presented onscreen. The film will focus on the history and politics of the period during which Arthur ruled -- when the Roman empire collapsed and skirmishes over power broke out in outlying countries -- as opposed to the mystical elements of the tale on which past Arthur films have focused. In 400 AD, the Roman Empire extends to Britain and the Romans become impressed with the fight skills of the warrior Sarmatian people, which are spared, but have to send their sons to serve Rome in the cavalry for fifteen years. Only after these services, these knights are free to return home. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have their last mission before achieving their freedom. Although the legend of King Arthur has not been historically established as fact, this film will attempt to place King Arthur within his possible historic context, smack between the fall of the Roman Empire (just a few hundred years after Gladiator) and the long road through the Dark Ages (roughly set in the 5th or 6th centuries). The magic and fantasy of the legend will be absent (Merlin may still be around; just not performing the magic seen in Excalibur). The Roman Empire is stretched across many nations, including Britain. In their conquest for more land, the Romans went into Sarmatia where they fought the very brave Sarmatian cavalery. The Romans, impressed by the Sarmatian's weaponery and fighting skills, included them into their army as knights. After 15 years of serving and fighting for the Roman Empire the Sarmatian Knights, lead by Arthur/Artorious Castus, are about to receive their freedom as the Romans are leaving Britain. But the Knights must carry out one final order before they are free. A Roman priest and his family, especially his son Alecto, must be rescued from the invading Saxons. But there is another danger lurking on the road to freedom - the Woads, British rebels who hate the Romans.
EXCALIBUR
The myth of King Arthur brought once again to the screen. Uthur Pendragon is given the mystical sword Excalibur by the wizard Merlyn. At his death Uthur buries the sword into a stone, and the next man that can pull it out will be King of England. Years later Arthur, Uthur's bastard son draws Excalibur and becomes king. Guided by Merlyn, Arthur marries Guenivere and gathers the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur's evil half-sister Morgana sires a son with him, who may prove his downfall.
As the title would suggest, it follows the travels of the legendary sword Excalibur through Arthurian myth, from the violent, powerful hands of Uther Pendragon, to a long-years' rest in the stone to being redrawn by Uther's son Arthur, who uses it to defeat the evil invaders and establish the great court of Camelot and the great Knights of the Round Table. It is there in Arthur's glory years and in his decline, brought on by the love affair between his wife Guenevere and best friend and best knight Sir Lancelot, the Holy Grail Quest which produces many casualties among the knights, and the arrival of Mordred, the son Arthur had by his evil half-sister, the sorceress Morgana. Through it all, the magician Merlin watches over everything, always ready to throw in a Charm of Making when it's called for.
May 27, 2007
BOB DYLAN-UNPLUGGED [MTV]
Each episode of MTV Unplugged features artists of the pop or rock world laying down their amplifiers to present their songs acoustically, without the technological adornments associated with modern music. Many artists take the opportunity to present their songs in unfamiliar arrangements or to perform covers of songs that influenced their careers. In this particular episode, the legendary Bob Dylan performs songs from his remarkable career, including an unreleased performance of the song "John Brown."
DANCES WITH WOLVES
Lt. John Dunbar (Costner), about to have his foot amputated in a Union field hospital in Tennessee, runs away in protest and rides in a suicidal dash toward Confederate lines, accidentally leading a charge and becoming a decorated hero. Asked for whatever posting he wants, he asks to be sent to the Dakota territory. The remote Western outpost turns out to be deserted, but he makes a friend of a lonely wolf he names "Two-Socks," and gradually gets to know the local Sioux tribe, who eventually accept and name him "Dances with Wolves." One of the members of the tribe is a white woman, Stands With a Fist (McDonnell) who was taken in and raised by the Sioux after her parents were killed by the Pawnee. She and Dunbar gradually fall in love, and as the white settlers and Army move into the territory, Dunbar has to make some hard choices. This sweeping, sensitive, nuanced 1990 film, which featured a full third of its dialogue in authentic Lakota Indian dialect, was Costner's directorial debut, and won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture (the first Western so honored since "Cimarron" in 1931!), Best Direction, and Best Screenplay.
THE BALLAD OF PANCHO & LEFTY - SCREENSAVER
This is something I just sent for fun. I made a Screensaver called "The Ballad of Pancho and Lefty". It is done to the song by Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson and it stars two of my cats (whose names actually ARE Pancho and Lefty). They, along with various other co-stars (Bobby McGee as the Federale and Celeste as Pancho and Lefty's mother -[she really IS their mother --lol!] act out the entire song.
It was just an experiment, but it DID come out kind of cute. Those of you out there who are cat-lovers might enjoy it.
[If you need help installing it, let me know. Just post in the "comments" section and I'll get back to you.]
INTERNATIONAL VELVET
Thirty-four years after the release of National Velvet, MGM came up with this attractively filmed sequel. Tatum O'Neal stars as the niece of Velvet Brown, Elizabeth Taylor's character from the first film (the Taylor role is played herein by Nanette Newman, the wife of director Bryan Forbes). Like her aunt, O'Neal is horse-happy, and hopes to become an Olympic equestrienne. There are a few tense moments when O'Neal fails to measure up to her aunt's overexacting standards, and when the girl evinces jealousy concerning auntie's live-in love Christopher Plummer. But with the help of crusty old trainer Anthony Hopkins, O'Neal proves herself every inch the horsewoman that Velvet had been so long ago.
May 25, 2007
THE HORSE IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT
Frederick Bolton has to solve two problems. First, his boss has instructed him to come up with a reasonable campaign to promote a new product, a stomach pill named "Aspercel" - by tomorrow. The second problem is Fred's daugther, Helen. She is absolutely fond of horses, takes riding classes and has already had decent success in some competitions. Her biggest wish is to own a horse herself, a dream her father cannot afford at all. Now Fred tries to solve both problems at once by simply combining them: A horse named "Aspercel", ridden by his daugther should bring the name of the pill into the papers and make Helen happy, too. But there's still one more obstacle: Helen and Aspercel of course have to win a few prizes to make this idea work...
May 24, 2007
May 23, 2007
THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS
Byron Tiller, happily married with a young child, is a writer whose last novel has ended up in the remainder bins. Down on his luck and struggling to make ends meet, he keeps bashing away, refusing to admit that perhaps he is not that good. One day, at wit's end and feeling sorry for himself, he meets someone who has actually read his book: a rather elegant looking Englishman who introduces himself as Luther Fox. Luther runs an escort agency Elysian Fields, which provides extremely wealthy women with attractive, intelligent dates. Desperate for any job- and Luther guarantees good pay and convinces him that it can be only temporary -Byron reluctantly agrees, keeping the whole thing hidden from his wife. He soon finds himself face-to-face with an extremely attractive woman, whose aging husband is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist grappling with a novel that may be his last. Before long, Byron finds himself immersed in a world that he finds almost impossible to believe and even harder to explain.
A KNIGHT'S TALE
Inspired by "The Canterbury Tales," as well as the story of Ulrich von Lichtenstein, this is the story of William, a young squire with a gift for jousting. After his master dies suddenly, the squire hits the road with his cohorts Roland and Wat. On the journey, they stumble across an unknown writer, Chaucer. William, lacking a proper pedigree, convinces Chaucer to forge genealogy documents that will pass him off as a knight. With his newly-minted history in hand, the young man sets out to prove himself a worthy knight at the country's jousting competition, and finds romance along the way.
PC STITCH 7.0
May 22, 2007
IN PURSUIT OF HONOR - Movie
PLOT DESCRIPTION
Actor Ken Olin directed this real-life story of five American Calvary soldiers who took a stand against General Douglas MacArthur and fought his 1930s plan to trade men on horses for tanks. After defying a direct order to destroy their horses, the men find themselves on the wrong side of military law fighting to survive. This made-for-cable movie was filmed on location in New Zealand and Australia.
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